God Help The Outcasts
by Wolfie Kid
Summary: When Roxas goes missing in action, Axel and Demyx find themselves wandering the city of Paris as they search for their young companion 'on the steps of Notre Dame ' - Trio short story.


"_Excusé moi, mademoiselle…_"

A little girl carrying a basket of bread turned around, a little wary. She looked up into the face of the young man who had called her attention. He looked like he wasn't from around there - a long woven poncho sat over his torso, his trousers tight and short in the leg, his boots worn cow-hide. On his back a strange musical instrument was slung. He must have been one of the performers she often passed in the streets every morning as she did the daily shopping for her mother. Shyly, she averted her gaze and mumbled, "Oui, monsieur?"

The man crouched down to her level and to her surprise, took her free hand and kissed it. "_Je suis à la recherche de mon petit frère. Vous voyez, il a été absent de la maison depuis longtemps, et je suis inquiet."_

The girl looked rather sympathetic at this and whispered, "Oh… c'est terrible! Quel fait-il ressembler? A quel âge est-il?"

The man's weary and depressed look managed to shift into a half smile. "_Eh bien, il est à propos de cette grande_," he straightened up and held his palm down flat in the air beside him to emphasise a height. "_Il a les cheveux blonds spikey et il est de quinze ans._"

The girl boggled and eyed him suspiciously.

"Il a les cheveux blonds….. 'spikey'?" she repeated slowly. The man chuckled and nodded. "_Unusual, je sais_."

"Eh bien ... il ya un garçon comme ça sur le marché. Il est dans les stocks. Il a été surpris à voler."

The man nodded firmly, then took her hand and kissed it again. "_Merci, Princess. Merci, merci, merci! Voici, pour vous._"

With a warm smile, he reached into his pocket and handed the girl some coins, which she happily accepted and took off running back home to tell her mother of the strange encounter.

"Never knew you were a ladies man, Dem," someone chuckled from behind him as he watched her run on home. "A little young for you though?"

"Shut up. She knows where Roxas is," the blond huffed, adjusting his travelling bard disguise and turning to face the tall red-head who had been listening in on the conversation… and not understanding a word of it. The older man's face lit up in excitement at the mention of Roxas.

"So? Where is he? How long do I have to wear this ridiculous performing-peasant get-up?"

Demyx just glared at him then smirked slyly. "Maybe if you knew French you could have found out sooner, without having to wear that costume."

"I don't have time to learn frog-talk."

"Cough-racist-cough."

"I heard that," came the growled reply. Demyx just chuckled and motioned him to follow. Angrily, Axel pulled away from the wall. He was dressed in a loose unbuttoned waist-coat, long silken sleeves from the shirt underneath covering half his hands. His attire was a lot more sophisticated than Demyx's, but it still seemed a little scruffy. As they pushed through the thick streets of Paris, the morning mass rung out above them from the great Notre Dame cathedral. The Court of Justice loomed on the horizon: they could judge on appearances that it was a place best to avoid

They pushed their way to the marketplace where the little girl had said she'd seen someone of Roxas' description. And, just like she said, there he was, in some stocks.

The crowds were thick enough for them to converse with the boy without being hassled.

"Well, _mon petit frére_," Demyx cooed patronisingly as they stopped before him to get his attention. "Looks like you need our assistance."

Roxas jerked his head up to stare at them in disbelief… well, as far up as the wooden block clamped around him would allow. "Guys?" he whispered hopefully.

"_Oui_!"

"Alright Demyx enough showing off your French and more helping the poor kid," Axel growled, checking no one was looking their way before withdrawing the keys he and Demyx had stolen from a dozing guard earlier (And by dozing guard, they meant 'some poor idiot we knocked unconscious'). "We need a distraction so no one notices us breaking you out."

"Sigh… must I do everything?" Demyx announced with dramatic exhaustion before looking about the marketplace for a good potential distraction. He saw one approaching at a purposeful speed, making the crowds part a little and some people to recoil away. It was a large, heavy-looking black carriage with an escort of men on horses.

The Nocturne cackled then hissed, "One distraction coming up."

"Alright. Be careful…" Axel whispered back. Once Demyx had slunk off, he turned back to Roxas. "Don't worry. We'll get you out."

"At least they haven't thrown rotten tomatoes at me yet… what are you guys doing here anyway?"

"Xemnas said you'd been taking too long on the mission. He didn't want to send me and Dem - you know how he feels about us on missions together - but there's a flu bug going around, and we're one of the few who aren't bed-ridden. And as a bonus, Demyx is the only one who can speak fluent French aside from Larxene, and she's lost her voice. I was told to come because I'm good at eavesdropping - course that only works if you can understand what people are saying. What about you? How'd you get into this mess?"

Roxas actually grinned deviously. "I maaaaay have abused my keyblade power and broken into the city treasury…"

Axel burst out laughing. "Did ya snag anything cool?"

"Yeah, but they confiscated it."

"Never mind, at least they didn't sentence you to death."

"For all I know, they might've. I didn't understand what they were saying…"

"Well," Axel straightened up and glanced over to Demyx, who was working his way through the thick crowds. "Give us a few seconds and you'll be as good as free. If there's any commotion, we'll take you to the Court of Miracles… me and Dem are hiding out there with some gypsies. We're posing as street performers. Of course, Demyx does all the talking. Apparently I'm just mute and deaf, hence why I can't speak or understand French. They'll keep us safe should anything happen."

Roxas couldn't nod with his head encased in the wood, nor could he speak, as there were now more people around, and it would bring too much attention to Axel if he conversed with the man. They could only wait for Demyx's distraction and hope it worked.

The bard had now reached the edge of the crowd which was parting to let the carriage through. Subtly, he snaked a hand to the market stall beside him and picked up a shelled nut. And with expert aim, he flicked his wrist and let it fly. It hit one of the escort's horses on the flank.

With a snort it reared up, it's rider panicking and shouting commands to the animal that it was too startled to hear. With one final loud whinny, it bolted, sending the crowd scurrying all over to get out of it's way as it tore through the streets of Paris, depositing it's rider outside the baker's.

Demyx chuckled, glancing over to Axel and Roxas. They needed more time - Axel was struggling to get the rusty keys to turn. Biting his lip, Demyx decided he'd have to further add to the commotion, and stepped forward out of the crowd.

"_Hé! Vous devez former vos coureurs mieux! Vous auriez pu tuer quelqu'un_!" he shouted angrily at the man who had come out of his carriage to see what the problem was.

Everyone around Demyx backed away from him with a collective gasp of horror, as if he'd just insulted the Pope. What he'd actually done was a lot worse - he'd just spoken out against Judge Frollo.

The greying withering man glared down at the simple youth who had just told him how worthless his soldiers were. Then he turned to a man in golden armour beside him.

"Capitaine: arrestation de cet homme."

"Comme vous l'avez vue, monsieur," the handsome Captain clicked his fingers and pointed to the target he'd been ordered to arrest.

"Ooooooh boy," Demyx said simply before bolting like the horse had done earlier through the crowd. As he disappeared in the direction of the Cathedral with four men on horseback after him, swords raised, Axel finished getting Roxas out of the stocks and took off running after them to provide back-up should it be needed.

"Shoot, he's running the wrong way!" Axel hissed as he and Roxas fell behind the men on horseback, already almost out of breath. "The Court of Miracles is the other way!"

Roxas, who had spent a whole day in a painful slouch, was having problems getting used to running again, and was clutching his back. "What do we do!?"

Axel glanced around, still running after the horses, though they were almost completely out of sight now. His eyes fell upon a cart of fish beside a tall stack of boxes that led up to the rooftops. He smirked.

"We're taking the shortcut," he murmured, grabbing Roxas' wrist and leading the boy towards it, jumping up into the cart then scrambling up the boxes until he was on the roof. Roxas followed him, though he was slower and his back was aching terribly. The two males ran the rooftop, skipping past the chimneys and catching themselves when they slipped on the shingles on the roof. Below them in the next street they could see the horses disappear around another corner - Demyx seemed to be heading right for the Cathedral.

"He's going to claim sanctuary," Axel panted, leaping the gap between one roof to the other. Roxas followed, but misjudged the jump and found himself grasping for the edge of the roof, his legs kicking wildly in thin air as he fought for purchase. "A-axel!"

The redhead skidded to a halt and noticed the boy slipping. He rushed back and grasped the boy's hands just as they let go of the roof. After a brief struggle, Roxas was back on the roof. The horses and any sign of Demyx had vanished.

Axel swore, looking around wildly for some hint as to where they'd gone. There were a dozen different routes to get to the Cathedral, and that was just for your average peasent. When you entered the Court of Miracles, you were taught at least fifty other ways - rooftops, secret tunnels, the waterways…

Demyx was their fastest runner, and when he ran, he could run until the sun came up at the same pace if he really wanted to. But… outrunning a horse would be asking so much of him, Axel wasn't sure he'd make it.

He looked down at the street again, frustrated in the knowledge that every second he spent thinking was another second the chase went on. He spotted a small puppet-booth where Clopin, the gypsies' self-appointed leader was just packing up his puppets. Axel got an idea.

He put his fingers into his mouth and whistled three times sharply, the third whistle a long warbling note that sounded a little like a bird in it's morning call. Clopin looked around, spotting Axel on the roof. He waved three times to show he'd heard - as he assumed Axel was deaf and would not hear the replying whistle that was commonly used. Axel nodded then gave two more whistles - the first long, the second half it's length. Then he pointed to the Cathedral. Clopin looked a little taken aback but nodded then shouted something in French to the performers who were dancing across the street. They looked up looking horrified, then scattered.

Roxas watched all this with utter confusion.

"What just happened?"

Axel smirked. "I just called the cavalry."

The four horsemen chasing the wanted bard got the shock of their lives when they chased him down a narrow street and found themselves barred by a miniature parade. The dancing and singing crowd throwing streamers around blocked their way, despite how loud they ordered them to move aside, and despite how their horses snorted and stamped their hooves irritably. The gypsies who made up the crowd simply laughed and sang, dancing in a colourful explosion of music and happiness, some of them even inviting the soldiers to dance. Once the crowd had been broken up and the gypsies chased away, threatened with arrest if they continued getting in the way, the bard had long gone.

And to make their days even worse, they found out a few seconds later their money-pouches had been stolen in the kerfuffle.

Demyx kept running, laughing at the distraction Clopin had set up for him. It was nice knowing that when you joined a brotherhood in this town, you could always be guaranteed assistance when you most needed it. He just wished the Organization was a little more tight-knit in that aspect - it was only after a few days they got around to checking up on you. Roxas for example: despite being Xemnas' prize and joy, it had only been when Axel constantly probed with concerned questions on why Roxas hadn't returned that Xemnas had sighed and mumbled 'Fine, go on'.

He slowed to a jog, finally reaching the steps that led to the Cathedral. It was both beautiful and intimidating, enormous in size, and awe-inspiring in it's decoration. He was out of breath, but managed to scale the stone steps and fall against the door, hammering upon it.

"_S'il vous plaît ... Sanctuary! Sanctuary! S'il vous plaît donnez-moi le sanctuaire_!" he panted, shouting loudly as he repeatedly banged his fist on the wood. There was no immediate reply as he slumped against the door trying to get his breath back.

He screamed when a heavy firm hand came down and grasped his shoulder, whirling him around.

"Whoa, whoa!" Axel let go and waved his hands in panic, trying to calm him down. "Shhhh! It's just us! It's just us! Shhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Oh my god…" Demyx fell back against the cathedral doors, clutching his chest, panting worse than ever. "Don't DO that!"

"Don't use God's name in vain outside a holy building," Roxas sighed, still clutching his back.

"I thought you were gonna arrest me!"

"No, but next time you upset some armed guards as a mere distraction….. Well, just don't, okay?"

"Hey, you got Roxy out, didn't you? I'm safe aren't I? It's all okay! Now we just need to get to the Court of Miracles, grab our uniforms then portal oursel-"

"Vous là! Halte!"

"Ah!" the three boys jumped and whirled around. A small platoon of soldiers were fast approaching with spears and swords. Demyx turned pale then spun back to the cathedral doors, barging himself against them screaming, "_S'il vous plaît nous donner sanctuaire! S'il vous plaît! S'il vous plaît! Je vous en prie! Donnez-nous sanctuaire, par tout ce qui est saint! Spare-nous! Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!_" Roxas echoed his every word in poor uneducated mimicry, not even knowing what Demyx was saying but realising it might just save them.

Axel just moved between his friends and the guards, wide-eyed and fearful, but not willing to let them touch the blonds. He'd die before he let them get hurt.

Fire swelled about him, the updraft of heat making his hair blow a little gently as if in a fine breeze. His head bowed, a dark shadow falling around his eyes. The soldiers skidded to a halt and exclaimed in a tongue he didn't understand, pointing to his fiery figure and gabbling in fear.

He'd hoped that would be enough of a distraction for the frenzied knocking behind him to attract the Archdeacon's attention. However, the soldiers suddenly shouted, "Démon! Sorcière! Tuez-le! Tuez-le!" to which Demyx ceased knocking and screamed tearfully, "NO!"

"What did they say?" Axel asked breathlessly.

"They think you're a demon! They're going to kill you!"

"Oh, well that's not good at all is iaaaaaaaaAAAAAARRRGHhhhhHHHH!"

"Axel!" both the blonds shrieked as the pyro stumbled back and slid to the floor cawing in pain, the flames utterly gone. His white shirt was flecked with blood. An arrow was sticking out of his shoulder.

Roxas rushed to the guy's side and promptly panicked. "What do we do!? What do we do!? Do we take it out or leave it in!?"

Axel, though in great pain, coughed and blurted out, "Take it out! Take it out!"

Roxas gripped it and tugged.

"On second thoughts, LEAVE IT IN! LEAVE IT IN!" the redhead gasped, feeling the point drag across some tissue in his body and send an all new wave of pain into him.

Demyx meanwhile was now slamming bitterly onto the wood with both palms in an almost drum roll, shrieking, "_SANCTUAIRE!_"

The soldiers were now ascending the cathedral steps, spears raised threateningly. The one who'd shot Axel had another arrow knocked into his bow, aiming at the prone pyro with Roxas trying in vain to cover him with his whole body to save him being hurt further. Axel just watched in horror as the guards came and stood practically beside them, the point of the knocked arrow just a metre from between his eyes. He clenched his eyes shut and held Roxas closer as if needing a last minute surge of comfort from his baby brother. The other side of him, Demyx was pleading, begging, trembling….. Or something like that: Axel couldn't understand him. He heard the word, "Miséricorde!" repeated several times. He knew what that word meant. Demyx had spent ages explaining, 'Merci' meant 'thank you' and not mercy… mercy was 'miséricorde'. Demyx was begging for mercy. For his sake. Maybe for Roxas' too - the boy was not budging, and in order for them to kill Axel efficiently, he would, eventually, have to be moved, by force or not.

" Silence! Vous et l'enfant sont en état d'arrestation! Ce démon est de revenir à l'Enfer!"

He felt Roxas being tugged off him. The boy was sobbing, clinging to him desperately. The guards were stronger, and he felt the boy's grip loosen. Suddenly scared, Axel brought his arms around him and forced him back roughly - he didn't want to die. He didn't want to be separated from them. If he was to die, it'd be with them, in some epic battle, in some insane, end-of-the-world badass fight together. Not this. Not now. He didn't want to die.

A soldier kicked him in the lower torso. The pyro howled and Roxas was finally wrenched from his grip, crying loudly, protesting between sobs. Demyx was seemingly fighting to free himself and pound the door at the same time, still screaming, "_SANCTUAIRE!_" He managed to plant a kick to an approaching guard's groin and wriggle out of the other's grip to fling himself at the door again, but was soon dragged back kicking and screaming. He started insulting them with every offensive French phrase he could utter.

"_Vous bêtes! Vous stupides morceaux de merde! Vos mères sont des chiennes! Vos sœurs sont des putes_!"

"Ferme ta sale gueule, vous méchant!"

"_Vas te faire encule! Vas te faire encule tous!_"

Meanwhile, high above the action in the street below, some of the city's oldest residents were getting irritated.

"I've HAD it with these people!" a short fat gargoyle growled, hopping up onto the outermost wall of the belfry, looking down at the commotion happening on the doorsteps. "KEEP IT DOWN! I'M TRYIN' TO SLEEP!"

He'd barely let the brick drop to disrupt the noisy happenings when his friends lectured him about 'what happened last time he dropped things off the cathedral.'

Too little too late though.

The brick landed harmlessly between the three groups - the ones restraining Roxas, the ones restraining Demyx and the ones surrounding Axel. However, the sudden shattering of an old brick on the steps after falling countless feet from the peak of the cathedral was enough to startle them. The guard with the arrows jumped, letting his arrow fly, hitting one of his companions in the helmet. This guard in turn howled in shock, dropping Roxas, who had, at the same moment the arrow flew, bitten down on the man's hand. The guard hopped around in pain, tripping down the steps and bowling over the three guards who were holding onto Demyx. Demyx picked himself up from the mass of aching soldiers, and stumbled back to Roxas, who pushed the guard pinning Axel down the steps.

Before the guards could pick themselves up again, the Archdeacon had finally opened the doors to the cathedral and pulled them inside to safety.

Roxas and Demyx were sat in the pews before a huge stone statue of Virgin Mary, listening to the great mumbling of the evening mass being chanted in Latin as the Archdeacon led his flock about the great stone halls. Candlelight surrounded them both. Roxas was in dear need of rest, but was unable to relax, despite Demyx's best efforts.

"He'll be fine… the Archdeacon said it didn't do any real lasting damage… we just have to make sure to keep the wound clean, and I can do that with a twist of my finger…"

"He's not gonna die is he?"

"Heeeeey, c'mon baby bro… Axel's tougher than that, you know that as well as I do. It's just a flesh wound…"

"You saw how much pain he was in when they took the arrow out."

"Axel was just being a big baby," Demyx smiled reassuringly. Roxas wasn't convinced and whimpered, resting his head on his knees. "… You want to see him, don't you?"

There was a miserable nod.

Demyx got to his feet and pulled Roxas with him, cuddling him briefly before taking his hand and leading him out of the main worship area and down a candlelit hallway. He paused at a door around midway, poking his head around. He looked back at Roxas and mouthed, 'He's sleeping', then put a finger on his lips as he led the boy inside. Roxas nodded, knowing it would be best not to wake the injured pyro.

They'd both already agreed Axel looked kind of cute when he slept - almost child-like. His hair had lost some of it's rebellious tendencies and lay quite flat and soft over his face, his hand cushioning his cheek, curled up with his knees near his chest. He was breathing softly, his mouth slightly open, but sometimes he hitched his breath as if in mild pain. He wasn't lying on the wounded shoulder, but still every move was only expected to agitate where the arrow had penetrated. The glass of water and the plate of bread at his bedside was untouched.

Roxas sat on the solitary stool at the bedside, the candlelight illuminating his concern all the more, casting shadows under his eyes. Demyx stood at his side, a hand on his shoulder.

"He'll be fine…" he whispered, rubbing the shoulder gently. "I promise."

Roxas nodded distantly, never even blinking. "I….. It's just I've never seen… never seen someone get shot before…"

"Neither had I," the older male sighed, kneeling at the bedside and looking at Axel also. "I admit, I was freaked at first but… he'll pull round. This is Axel we're talking about."

The boy nodded again, not answering this time.

Demyx bit his lip. "You… wanna stay with him for a while?"

Another nod.

"Alright. I have to go back to the Court of Miracles to get our uniforms so we can portal out of here. We brought you one too, before you ask. You going to be okay here on your own?"

A final nod.

"Good boy. I'll be about an hour or two. If Axel wakes up just tell him that we'll be getting him home soon enough."

As promised, Demyx returned with a bundle of black leather under his arm. Axel was awake, but not really alert, mumbling in conversation with Roxas, who seemed a little relived that the man was talking, even if it was slurred and whispered.

Roxas looked up as Demyx entered: Axel couldn't move too much without putting himself in pain, but stiffly moved his head in the Nocturne's general direction.

"What happened to you?" Roxas asked, noting the bottom of Demyx's poncho was shredded. The guy laughed nervously, "I kinda ran into another patrol… but I gave them the slip. But damn, seems our 'arrest' has risen to 'execution'. Maybe because we're consorting with 'demons', eh Ax?"

"'m a saint," the pyro mumbled with a weak smirk.

"Yeah, and I'm a chocobo!" Roxas snorted.

"He admits it!" Demyx and Axel chortled in unison, earning a glare from their youngest.

"Just shut up and gimme the coat. I want to go home…" the boy trailed off then grinned widely. "In fact… no… before we go home, I just want to reclaim something…"

The next day in Twilight Town, the trio were laughing as they sauntered down the road. Axel's shoulder and upper arm were smothered in bandages which peeped out from under his tank-top and got him a few stares, but he didn't really mind. At least he could move better without being in pain anymore. He wasn't allowed to throw any chakrams with that hand for a week though, lest he aggravated the recovering tissue.

"Now, what else would you two like?" Roxas asked, leafing through his wallet that was bursting at the seams.

"Are you sure you should be treating us with stolen munny?" Demyx asked nervously, though he couldn't deny the new music stand Roxas had paid for was probably the best 'just on the whim' present he'd ever had given to him.

"Hey, it's just compensation!" Roxas giggled.

"Yeah, anyway, this kid stole it fair and square! And damn were you right when you said you'd snagged some cool stuff!" Axel chuckled, showing off his 'bling' - a gold medallion with an ornate dragon carved into it.

"Well, okay….. Ice cream?" Demyx suggested.

"Heh, hell, with this kid's munny, we could buy the damn shop!"

Roxas' eyes lit up and he opened his mouth to speak his approval to that suggestion.

"No," both the older men interrupted firmly, before bursting out laughing. "Don't want you getting cavities now, Roxy."

"I would've shared!" the boy whined.

"Yeah, but we know how much you love that stuff… we're just saving you from yourself, baby bwother."

"You know, sometimes I hate you too. You're like my shoulder angel and devil!"

"Oh! Oh! Dibs on the angel!" Demyx jumped up, his hand in the air.

"Goody-two-shoes," Axel snorted.

"_Au moins, je ne suis pas un idiot qui ne peuvent pas parler français._" Demyx stuck out his tongue. Axel just smirked then replied, "_Oh vraiment?"_

_The look on Demyx's face was priceless, and realising he was beat, he whined, "No fair."_

_Axel just did a jig of triumph then conjured a flame waving it threateningly under Demyx's nose. "Admit it: I'm awesome."_

"_Never!" the guy laughed playfully before rushing down the road._

_Axel laughed as well before summoning a larger flame and chasing after Demyx cackling, "Fine, if you're his shoulder angel… I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE!"_

"_Ah! Roxas help!"_

"_Hahahahaaa!"_

"_Axel put that away! Someone might see! Guys? Guys wait up!" Roxas called after them hopelessly before rushing off to follow them into the sunset._


End file.
